Mayor's water idea is just spillage

A voluntary 10% reduction in water consumption, as suggested by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, is a drop in the drought bucket compared to unchecked construction that spreads across the basin like a dust storm. For example, where a one-bath Hollywood bungalow once stood now rise 16 units with an equivalent number of sinks, showers and toilets. Unless severe water restrictions are put in place, and until desalination plants spring up along the coast, it may not be long before an Angeleno's faucet produces nothing more than the hiss of a politician's hot air.

FRANK DUNGAN

Hollywood

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Villaraigosa's request for L.A. to reduce water consumption by one-tenth doesn't adequately convey the urgency of the situation in the Southland. This is no time for half measures. Better to determine water allowance based on the number of occupants of a home. This was used in the San Francisco area in the 1980s. For example, a four-person household would be allowed a certain number of gallons a month; a two-person household's water needs would be lower. Any water used over those set amounts would be subject to higher fees for excess consumption.